This fascinating structure is designed so that the faithful can visit in order to pray and meditate privately. Although it has a main outdoor altar that is occasionally used to celebrate Mass, the Grotto is essentially a combination of chaplets, prayer stations, and catacombs designed to convey and emphasize the element of mysticism in the Ukrainian Catholic religion. The idea to build the Grotto was conceived by Reverend P. Bodnar. Construction began in 1932, with the Basilians actively taking part in the project. It took approximately a decade to complete. Constructed from a combination of fieldstone, masonry, and concrete, the Grotto is crowned by an 8.5 metre steel cross that lights up the night sky. Much of the Grotto's beauty stems from the carefully-tended vines and shrubs that drape and surround it. [Source: http://www.ualberta.ca/CIUS/religion-culture/c-alberta/tour/p6.htm]
Compassion flows, October 2011
Seeds just waiting for a favorable wind, October 2011
Imprisoned, October 2011
Repose, October 2011
Nature wins, October 2011
Rising from flames, October 2011
Walking meditation, October 2011
Irony, October 2011
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The padlocks kind of kill the mood a bit.
ReplyDeleteTinsenpup: They must have been vandalized at one time. Damn punks!
ReplyDeletei like "nature wins" a lot - reminds me of my not-so-infrequent thought that we think we're so great as a species, but everything we build will be pulled down by time and nature
ReplyDelete